Ilario Alicante - Wax Weapon

Ilario Alicante - Wax Weapon
Both original productions on Ilario Alicante's second EP for Cocoon plot a path between old school techno tropes and darker, industrial elements. With its buzzing, evil synth, "Wax Weapon" has more than a little Joey Beltram about it; to that he adds snares that buzz with a hint of distortion, 808 claps that land just on the off-beat and hammer-action kicks. Whisper it, but it's borderline psy-trance. "XYXY" dispenses with the twisted melodies of its predecessor and provides a more instantaneous hit in the process, a peak-time explosion of jacking beats and trippy keys.

German techno Viking Rødhåd winds the original pace of "Wax Weapon" back a touch on his remix, sending it into a tough techno abyss. But it's Ryan Elliott's approach to "XYXY" that's the most memorable moment, chiefly because it offers something different to the three tracks before it. Part hyperactive Latin techno, part breakbeat, it's breathless and delightfully uncontrolled.